Presidential candidate Francisco Guterres Lu Olo today promised to always put Timor Leste (East Timor) first while building good relations with other countries.

He was responding to claims by Jose Ramos Horta that relations with neighbouring countries would suffer under a Lu Olo presidency.

“Having spent the entire 24 years of the resistance as a guerilla fighter in the mountains, I have already proven my commitment to defending the people of Timor-Leste and the interests of our nation,” Lu Olo said.

“International relations is not just about claiming to have personal friends. It is about states and their institutions interacting with each other. I will always respect and seek to promote friendship with other states, but I will always stand up for Timor-Leste and put our country first.

“I will never leave Timor-Leste to go and work in New York or some other country. Timor Leste is my country, my homeland, which I fought for and saw my comrades die for. I will always want to live here and will never leave this beautiful country of ours.

“As President of the Parliament I made official visits to many countries and received representatives from many parliaments including Australia, Indonesia and Portuguese-speaking nations. I built relationships which will stand for many years to come and will help me to do my job as President in promoting better international relations for our country”.

Lu Olo also questioned whether Ramos Horta was capable of representing Timorese from all parts of the country.

Rejecting accusations by Ramos Horta – reported in today’s local media – that as President Lu Olo would have difficulty embracing the whole nation, Lu Olo said: “As President of the national Parliament I have succeeded in managing differences and promoting dialogue between various political parties represented in our parliament. I have done this while being a member of Fretilin.

“I won the first round of the election because I was able to obtain votes from across the country and not just in Dili. Mr Ramos Horta did not poll well in many districts. I am concerned he will not adequately represent people from all over Timor-Leste.”